That’s what he has done ever since stepping on a wrestling mat when he was 7 years old. And it’s what he did since the first time he saw one of Charlie McGill’s Athlete of the Week drawings in The Record.

"I always looked at those and thought about what it would be like to win it," said the Bergen Catholic freshman, who waited just two weeks into his first wrestling season to find out. "Knowing my sketch is going to be going up in the hallway, it shows all the hard work pays off."

That includes training on Christmas Day, just two days after becoming the first Bergen Catholic wrestler to win the Beast of the East Tournament and vaulting to the No. 1 ranking in the nation at 106 pounds.

It’s performances like that and his double-overtime victory over Don Bosco’s heralded freshman Kyle Bierdumpfel in the final of the Bergen Holiday Tournament that have saddled him with high expectations in his first season.

"I was aware of it," he said of the hype preceding his possible showdown with Bierdumpfel. "But you can’t do anything about that. I embrace it. You just have to stay focused."

Focus hasn’t been a problem since his father, Robert, a region champion at Paramus, first introduced Nick to the sport.

"I was playing football at the time and he said why don’t I give wrestling a try," Suriano said. "He took me into the room and showed me some moves. I started rolling around and I thought right then that this was the sport for me.

"It’s not just about wrestling as a sport. It’s a lifestyle, and I like that."

Also nominated: Arris Hunt of Wayne Hills and Brian Horn of Pascack Hills for basketball; Peter Beckwermert of Wayne Hills for ice hockey and Mark Ramsey of Kennedy for indoor track and field.